Leaving the Comfort Inn & Suites, we headed toward
the center of Victoria, the oldest town in Canada on the western side. We were
ready for the seafood. Following the directions given to us by the guy at the
motel, we kept an eye out for the Grand Hotel—he had said we couldn’t miss it, and we didn’t.
Driving slowly along the street we were directed to watch
for, there it was: “Pescatore’s Fish House.” Next, we had to find a parking
space in downtown Victoria. That didn’t turn out to be as hard as expected.
Right on the docks, we discovered a lot with plenty of open spaces—like nobody had
discovered it before. After purchasing three hours of space rental, we headed
back to the “best seafood spot in Victoria.”
We were greeted by the hostess and I announced that we
had just driven in from Texas and were hungry—stretching the truth just a little. She replied that
they had a room full of reservations that would be showing up real soon as the
dinner hour was approaching shortly. Giving her the benefit of-the-doubt, we
agreed to be seated at the bar. This turned out to be a real bit of LUCK!
The bartender, Daniel, immediately greeted us and ask if
he could get us something to drink. Joseph and I ask for the best local brew
and were served up a tall glass of Blue Buck Ale 2X—it hit the exact spot. Dilin, under-knowledged in
the Beer fare ask for a smoother brew and Daniel brought him a Glass of Phoenix
Lager, another local beverage.
Daniel then presented the daily menu to us and we
discussed the pros and cons of each entrée. I told him that I had a hard time
getting past a fresh salmon anytime that it is offered. While we discussed the
salmon, Dilin ordered the halibut. Daniel continued his descriptions pushing
another dish, a local favorite. Daniel’s recommendation was Chef Marcelo
Najarro’s Miso Glazed Sablefish. The preparation sequence sold us on the dish—both Joseph and I
ordered it.
Daniel then returned with some fresh bread and an oil and
pepper dipping sauce that was also just right. We dug right in. I inquired
about his past and Daniel discussed his upbringing, where he had lived and that
he had a family in Oslo waiting for him to finish his “wine schooling” that he
was currently on the last leg of here in Victoria—a very interesting life so far.
While we sat and savored our lagers, Joseph started
naming off the bar bottles that he had previously sampled on his journeys. Now,
neither one of us are lushes but we had sampled quite a few as we went from
shelf to shelf. I then noticed on a top shelf a bottle of Yukon Jack—it resembled a stepchild
the way it was sat back and contained only about an inch of liquid—Daniel listening to our
conversation all the while. He inquired about my interest in the bottle of
Yukon Jack and I responded that it had been a favorite of mine while I was
serving in the Army. He ask how I liked it and I replied that I had discovered
a mix of my own concoction: Yukon Jack and Cream Soda. He had never heard of
anyone mixing it that way.
We continued our discussion as he served up someone a
whisky sour. I challenged his mixture and related a story that took place while
I was getting my Master’s Degree and having to travel back and forth to McGuire
Air Force Base in New Jersey. We all got a good laugh and continued our
evening. I noticed that Daniel had gone to the cash register, removed some cash
and handed it off to the floor manager with what seemed to be specific instructions.
About this time our dinner arrived and we dug in again.
Daniel had been right, the sablefish was FANTASTIC! I shoved a forkful toward
Dilin as he passed a fork full of halibut toward my plate. The fare was all
special. I do not remember tasting another seafood plate as smooth as the
sablefish, especially the way it was prepared.
The floor manager returned about this time with a can of
cream soda from the small grocery around the corner. Daniel apologized that all
they could obtain was cherry cream soda but offered us all a Yukon Jack//cream
soda cocktail. Boy the evening was just about perfect now. To top off our
dinner, we each had a bow of ice cream.
Settling up, we headed for the street. I noticed that our
bill did not include the cocktail. Daniel was a standup Guy. If I ever get
back, I know where I will eat in Victoria, BC.
Back on the street, the city was now under lights and
looked very pretty. We strolled for awhile and remained to watch a street
performer set up and then present her show.
The Provincial Capitol, Victoria in the early evening
Street performer setting up her performance. She was real good
and received a wealthy contribution from the crowd.
We headed back to the Comfort Suites for a good night’s
rest and an early morning heading back to the ferry and Vancouver and a BALL
GAME!
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